1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a pivotally supported, resiliently biased fishing rod holder with a hook setting mechanism automatically actuated when a fish exerts tension on a fishing line when taking the bait on the fish hook. The fishing rod holder includes a tubular member receiving the handle end of a fishing rod in an open end thereof. The tubular member is biased about a pivot axis by a plurality of resilient cords extending between an opposite end of the pivotal tubular member and a support stand. The support stand and pivotal tubular member include a trigger mechanism including a trip roller and trip bar mounted on the pivotal tubular member and a holding bar mounted on the support stand. The trip bar is engaged by the fishing line at adjustable points along the length of the trip bar to vary the sensitivity of the trigger mechanism. A lock bolt is inserted under an end portion of the pivotal fishing rod holding tubular member to secure it against pivotal movement in a hook setting direction when setting up the fishing rod holder at a fishing site. A carrying handle is provided on the vertical stand to enable transport and the vertical stand includes a base board that can be stored alongside the vertical stand to enable storage of the device in a compact condition.
2. Description of Prior Art
Fishing rod holders with automatic hook setting capabilities are well known and include structures in which a fishing line is engaged with a trigger mechanism to permit the fishing rod holding member to automatically pivot to set the hook. The following U.S. patents relate to this field of endeavor.
______________________________________ 2,986,834 4,133,131 4,993,181 3,897,646 4,471,553 5,279,064 3,977,117 4,920,681 5,542,205 ______________________________________
The above prior patents disclose various arrangements in which a spring biased fishing rod holder is retained in fishing position by a trigger mechanism which is released in response to tension exerted on a fishing line by a fish taking the bait on a hook thereby automatically setting the hook in the fish to enable the fishing rod to be removed from the fishing rod holder and the fish reeled in.
The prior art does not disclose structural arrangements equivalent to the specific structural details of the present invention which enable it to be easily supported from the bank of a body of water, a pier or a boat while also enabling different angular settings of the fishing rod holder, variations in the sensitivity of the trigger mechanism, easy adjustment of the resilient structure which sets the hook, elimination of pinch points associated with a pivotal fishing rod holder and a structure which can be easily transported by a handle and reduced in overall size for transport and storage.